By:Jennifer Marino
Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Johnson believes that the debate over finding more funding for New York City schools is the main reason the budget is so late.
The late budget could result in an estimated tax levy. The Legislature has one last chance to gather and approve a budget before the end of the month, so the Board of Education will probably delay its decision to see if that happens.
In the meantime, Johnson has been working with Assistant Superintendent Robert Bartels to come up with a tax rate. If there is no budget by the final deadline, which is around Aug. 15, the district will estimate the amount of aid it will get from the state. "We try to keep it at a number that is conservative," said Johnson, so that the district does not end up with less money than the budget calls for and have to make cuts during the year. If it receives more school aid than school officials predict, the extra money will go into next year's budget to help keep taxes down.
A court decided, in the case of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. the State of New York, that New York City schools should receive more funding, but did not say where that money should come from. The court ruled that New York state fails to deliver the opportunity for a sound, basic education in New York City.
Gov. George Pataki appointed the Commission on Education Reform, also known as the Zarb Commission because of its chairman, Frank G. Zarb, to come up with recommendations on education reform and statewide financing proposals to comply with the court's decision. The commission, which had 22 members, including Johnson, issued a report in March that recommended a spending increase of between $2.5 billion and $5.6 billion. The commission also recommended that there be management, accountability and planning reforms to ensure that the money gets the results it is supposed to.
The decision on how to fund the increase in education aid is one major thing that has been holding up the budget process. The governor, the Assembly and the Senate all have different plans for how to fund the increase.
A July 30 deadline had been in place to settle on a funding plan, and the court was supposed to appoint a special master to come up with a plan to fulfill the judgment in favor of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. In the meantime, the Legislature could still come up with and pass a funding plan that would supersede any plan that comes from the special master.
The day before the deadline, the Alliance for Quality Education held a "Lemon-Aid for School Aid" sale outside Senator Dean Skelos's office in Rockville Centre. The alliance is a coalition of 230 organizations that seek to ensure every child's right to a quality education. The lemonade was on sale for $1 billion a cup. Claudia Wagner, Long Island coordinator of the alliance, said that the group decided to stage the "sale" because it feels that Long Island children will suffer if a special master is appointed to dole out the funding. "We're at the end of our rope," she said. The alliance chose Skelos's office because he is the head of the Long Island delegation.
A spokesman for Skelos, Tom Dunham, said that the protesters should have been praising the senator because he worked on the Senate plan for school aid, which preserves Long Island's share of aid and calls for an increase of $600 million over the next five years. Dunham said that the Assembly's plan and the governor's plan both take money away from Long Island schools. The Senate plan calls for federal funding as well as video lottery terminals and an increase in the contribution New York City makes to its schools.
Johnson said that it is clear to him that the Long Island senators have been steadfast in their support of keeping Long Island's share. If school aid were taken from Long Island to help New York City, Long Island taxpayers would have to make up the difference. Johnson also said that Skelos has provided the leadership in the Senate to protect Long Island. Johnson said that some people may be unhappy about the delay the debate has caused. "I'd rather see it done right and late then early and wrong," he said.
